Project: Renewable Energy Integration for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery in Rwanda
Country & region/location: Rwanda, Ngoma (Eastern Province) and Nyaruguru (Southern Province)
Category: Energy & Health
According to the Government of Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation, one of the priorities is to have a health care system that provides improved quality of life to its population. However, electrification of healthcare facilities and access to clean water remains a critical challenge and they are exacerbated by the dual factors of climate change and limited community development. These events directly affect the availability of clean water sources and exacerbate existing challenges faced by healthcare facilities, further compromising the quality of patient care, and hindering sustainable development. Adding to the problem, healthcare facilities often rely on costly and environmentally harmful diesel generators, straining their finances and contributing to carbon emissions.
Among the over 250 health posts constructed and equipped by Society for Family Health (SFH) Rwanda, approximately 20 healthcare facilities are currently grappling with no electricity and limited access to clean water. This directly affects the quality of healthcare services provided, despite the availability of critical medical equipment that is donated to these facilities and often experiencing disruptions and compromised functionality. Additionally, the absence of clean water hampers sanitation practices, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases and infections among patients and healthcare professionals. Financially, healthcare facilities struggle to allocate substantial portions of their budgets to diesel fuel, generator maintenance, and sanitation efforts, impeding investment in essential resources like medical equipment and staff training.
The Society for Family Health Rwanda's project aims to enhance healthcare services and mitigate health-related issues in Rwandan healthcare facilities without electricity. The initiative plans to electrify eight off-the-grid health posts using OffGridBox FLEX power modules and provide four of these posts with CHIARA water purification(ultrafiltration) modules.
The OffGridBox solutions extend beyond healthcare, benefitting community households and businesses. Solar energy generated by the system can support various community activities like powering salons, barber shops, carpentry, welding, cold storage, food processing businesses, as well as cyber cafes. Additionally, OffGridBox offers households access to water and lighting through their family light kit, either through a pay-as-you-charge setup or a monthly subscription model, further enriching the community's livelihoods.
Expected results:
- 8 OffGridBox Flex (energy) and 4 OffGridBox Chiara (water) installed and commissioned in 8 health posts
- Promote maternal and child services and maintain a potent and viable ‘cold chain’ for vaccines and medicines at the health posts
- 40.000 people benefiting from improved quality of life due to access to better healthcare, energy and water
- 500 households gain access to energy via the rental of powerbanks
- Creation of jobs for 8 Box keepers, 16 security guards, and 4 local technicians
- Set-up of 16 small businesses, which use the OffGridBox energy, directly providing employment to at least 16 youth and women entrepreneurs, including the sale of clean water
- Reduction in CO2 emissions (8 x 15 tones per year), related to replacing batteries/candles with solar-powered battery packs
